The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.
Dental floss is a bundle of thin nylon filaments or a plastic (teflon or polyethylene) ribbon used to remove food and dental plaque from teeth. The floss is gently inserted between the teeth and scraped along the teeth sides, especially close to the gums.
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement and is used in prosthetic dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. A common type of implant includes posts embedded in a patient's jaw bone. A bridge bearing artificial teeth is then supported by the posts. The gaps between the posts, known in the art as interproximal spaces, can be relatively large when compared with the spacing between teeth, and prone to accumulate food particles, debris, and plaque.
The main reason for dental prosthesis failure is poor oral hygiene. Plaque and calculus are irritants which lead to gum infection. Gingivitis (gum infection) and periodontitis (bone infection) can develop around implants as well as around natural teeth, leading to implant loss as well as tooth loss. In implants this is referred to as peri-mucositis and peri-implantitis. Poor oral hygiene can cause periodontitis as well as decay around natural teeth which support bridges. Decay may lead to the loss of a tooth supporting the bridge.
Dental implants and dental bridges are expensive. Whilst it is important to clean dental implants to ensure that they do not fail, narrow dental floss is not well suited to cleaning the wide gaps between the posts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,117 discloses a dental cleaning aid having a comparatively wide strip of cleaning material. The strip defines a narrow threader for initially inserting into gaps and a wide follower which can be reciprocated in the gaps during cleaning. In practice, the material threader may not be resilient enough or be too bulky to be pushed through tight or small inter-dental spaces.
Embodiments of the invention provide a dental cleaning aid with improved threading capabilities.